An Introduction
by Pheobe Floros
Summary: L and Light talk about Kira and tea. A simple little one-shot that I didn't quite know how to end. Please read and tell me what you think!


**This is my first Death Note fic. I don't know if I'm in character...please tell me if I'm not. This is just so I can get a feel for the characters. R&R please! Constructive criticism is ALWAYS appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read!**

**Death Note and the characters do not belong to me. I am just using them for fun.**

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"Light?"

Raito turned to see the hunched figure of L staggering toward him. Raito had never seen L run and figured that this limping was as close as the detective would get to physical activity. He was huffing and puffing and the way one shoulder rose up all the way to his jaw line, heaving one side of his body up and over again and again.

When L finally caught up to his friend he paused to catch his lost breath. He bent his knees and bent over to breathe through them. After a moment of gulping in mouthfuls of still air, L stood up as straight as he would go, a sour look on his ruddy face.

"You could have met me halfway, you know, instead of making me run."

Raito chuckled, "Sorry, Ryuzaki. I was too caught up in the story." He gestured to the small paperback in his hand, and then tucked into his back pocket. He scratched the back of his head nonchalantly, wondering what prompted L to run the five meters to meet up with him. "So what's up? Is there any new information on the case?"

"I really don't want to talk about Kira at the moment," said L, looking downcast.

"Oh, well then what did you have to tell me?"

In a split second, L's finger pad was resting between his lips. Raito adjusted his hearing so he could understand the mumblings of his finger-sucking adversary; the usual finger L placed in his mouth distorted his speech, but Raito was quite used to it. "I think we need to get to know each other better."

Raito was quiet for a moment, studying the concrete beneath his feet. He was confused; why would L want to 'get to know' him better? What would the point be?

"We _are_ friends, aren't we?" L asked seemingly in response to Raito's question. He looked down into L's imploring eyes. "I just don't want our friendship to be solely on our mutual aversion to Kira. When we catch him, what will there be to talk about?"

_Is he trying to humanize himself to me? Is he trying to make it harder for me to kill him?_ Raito nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess that does make sense. To be honest, though, I didn't think you really wanted to be friends. I thought that you just wanted to get closer to me because I was under suspicion for being Kira."

He held up his hands. "No! No more Kira. I need a rest, at least for this afternoon."

"I wasn't-"

"I know, you were just questioning. Well to answer your question, I did suspect you so I wanted to know all there was to know about you, but at the same time, I do consider you to be a good friend. I don't know you very well, but I would like to."

A raindrop plopped onto Raito's head and another caught L's shirtsleeve. In a matter of seconds, the ground was a darker shade of gray and rain was pulling on shirts and hair. Raito squinted against the bluster, "Do you want to go inside? The cafeteria, maybe?"

L smiled. "I could go for some tea."

;..;

Crouched over his tea, L watched as Raito bit into his sandwich. Six, seven, eight cubes of sugar went into his peppermint tea. He stirred them in with a spoon he held between his thumb and middle finger.

Raito raised an eyebrow. "Do you _ev_er drink water?"

L looked up, confused. "Of course not. Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "I've never seen you drink anything besides tea is all. You know, that isn't very healthy, right? To drink nothing but tea, to eat nothing but sweets," he gestured to the plate heaped with cookies and cakes. "Just the smell of all that frosting makes me nauseous."

"I'm flattered that you are worried about my health, Light, but sweet things are not all that consumes my diet. I have grown a fond attachment to fruits, namely bananas and strawberries, but pomegranate seeds are my recent find."

"But fruits are sweet, too, Ryuzaki. You need a structured diet to stay healthy," he pointed out matter-of-factly.

L rolled his head to the side and shoved a crumpet into his mouth, shaking his head. After a moment of chewing, he swallowed and said, "Being 'healthy', as you put it, is not my primary goal in life. If my food intake hindered me from achieving that goal, I wouldn't eat what I eat. I have found, though, that sweet foods force me to use my brain to stay conscious lest I crash. Sugar also tastes immaculate."

Putting his sandwich down, Raito crossed his arms. "Obviously, you aren't active. And activity, along with eating healthily, is the secret to a longer life. If you live linger, you will be able to fulfill your goal in life, which I presume is upholding justice, am I correct?"

L grinned. "But if I am old and decrepit, I won't be able to 'fight for right'. Besides, we don't know how long Kira will let me live, so there is really no point in changing my ways now." Raito looked up at the mention of Kira, his face masked by concern. L stared at Raito dead-on, willing him to say something that would incriminate him. When the silence became a little too obvious, L chuckled. "Forgive me, I said we wouldn't talk about the case. Forget what I've said."

"We can talk about it if you really want to," Raito offered hopefully. He noticed that he was becoming more and more fond of L, and it was because they were spending so much time together. He didn't want to become so close to where it became difficult to kill him, something he knew had to be done.

The detective shook his head and rested his cheek in his palm. "I don't really. I need to take a break from Kira for a while, let my thoughts settle."

"Don't you think you may lose some important information?"

"Maybe," L said simply, "but for the time being, I need a break. I don't think I've ever worked on a case for as hard and as long as I've worked on this." The way he stared at Raito was as if he was looking straight through him; the black of his eyes was unsettling. "It's taking a lot out of me, I've never had to work this hard to solve a case."

Raito was silent, tapping his heel against the linoleum of the cafeteria floor. L did seem tired.

"Maybe that's why I wanted you to be Kira. It makes so much sense…" he began to chew on his knuckle, lost in thought. Raito stiffened.

"Why? You've always thought it was me. What have I done to make you think that way?"

L rolled his head lazily. "Well every move I make has been countered by Kira. It's as if he's reading my mind or he's in on the investigation."

"But why have you closed in on me? What have _I_ done to incriminate myself?"

"Nothing. You've complied as well as anyone. It's just…"

Raito narrowed his eyes. "It's just _what_, Ryuzaki?"

A goofy smile leapt onto L's face. He raised a chocolate meringue to his eye-level, studying it. "This is one of the best-tasting, interestingly textured treat I have ever eaten." He thrust it forward in front of Raito's lips. "You wanna bite?"

An unamused expression settled itself of Raito's features. He waved the sweet away. "What is it, Ryuzaki?"

Retracting it back to his level of vision, L studied the meringue in great detail, licking his lips. "It's called a meringue. I think it's made with egg whites or something. But it is delicious."

"Ryuzaki."

"Yes, Light?"

Raito glared, crossing his arms tighter over his chest. "Why do you persist in accusing me if Kira's crimes?"

Casually nibbling at the meringue, L said, "I do not accuse you of anything, Light. I just believe that you are Kira. Just because I believe it, though, does not necessarily make it true, I accept that. But I'll have you know, I am rarely wrong."

Raito stared at L, anger burning though his eyes. In a calm, even voice, he said, "I didn't think you would be the lazy type, Ryuzaki. I always thought you were the kind of guy who would never give up, the type who wouldn't rest until the crime was solved."

"If you were Kira, the crime _would_ be solved," L said simply.

"If YOU were Kira, the crime would be solved," Raito retaliated, momentarily losing his cool. "If Misa were Kira, the crime would be solved. If my father were Kira, the crime would be solved. If you focus so much on me, Ryuzaki, we may never catch the _real_ criminal. Can't you see that?"

L was silent, allowing this information to process. Raito was right, he needed to focus on the actual Kira. The catch was that L was almost 100% sure that the real Kira was Raito. In fact, he was absolutely positive, he just had no proof.

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**Please tell me what you think!**


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